COVID-19: Crafting a shield

Editorial and photography: Jesse Wray-McCann

During an emergency such as the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, with its uncertainty and stress, the public looks to the likes of Victoria Police for safety and reassurance.

To answer the community’s call, Victoria Police was able to redeploy one of its most effective tools for public reassurance – Protective Services Officers (PSOs).

Usually limited to the public transport network, many PSOs found themselves patrolling empty train stations as people heeded the restrictions and advice to stay home.

So while some PSOs continued to provide a presence on the public transport network, 160 other PSOs were combined with 80 transit police to form Operation Shielding.

Shielding teams spent afternoons and evenings patrolling the streets in important locations such as Melbourne’s CBD, South Yarra, St Kilda, Geelong, Dandenong, Box Hill and Doncaster.

Their task was twofold – ensure the safety of those who were still going about their business and help prevent crimes like commercial burglaries.

Police and Protective Services Officers combined forces to patrol shopping centres and community hubs during the pandemic.

Transit Superintendent John Felton said PSOs were well-suited to the role.

“The role of PSOs on public transport is to provide community reassurance and support community safety through their presence,” Supt Felton said.

“So having the ability to move those PSOs and that ethos of community engagement into other areas, it was very beneficial.”

Up until mid-May, Operation Shielding officers had spoken to more than 7,300 people, which included shoppers, retailers and even suspects.

“Through these interactions, we a had really positive impact on the community and were able to put people's minds at ease, which was important because they were already dealing with the uncertainty that came with COVID-19,” Supt Felton said.

“That will sit well with our Transit police and PSOs for a long time and they should be proud of the work they have done and continue to do.”

Not only was the general community reassured through Operation Shielding, but also business owners and operators.

When venues like bars and pubs first had to shut their doors, many placed signs up to let would-be thieves know there was no alcohol or cash kept inside.

The Operation Shielding teams were an effective crime fighting tool, arresting more than 400 people throughout the pandemic, many for drug offences such as trafficking.

On once such occasion on 14 April, Shielding PSOs were patrolling a south-eastern suburbs shopping centre when they spotted a man known to them in breach of COVID-19 restrictions.

The 30-year-old was seen meeting with another man in what appeared to be a drug deal, so the PSOs arrested him and found he was carrying a white crystal substance and an imitation firearm.

Then-Deputy Commissioner Shane Patton said Victoria Police had anticipated a spike in commercial burglaries due to the many dormant businesses across the state.

But the Operation Shielding patrols were so effective that preliminary statistics instead showed a significant reduction in commercial burglaries in April.

“Overall, we recorded the lowest daily average of offences in the month of April since 2014,” DC Patton said.

“It certainly was a real advantage for Victoria Police to have the flexibility to take the PSOs off the public transport network.

"We really enjoyed the benefits of utilising PSOs and Transit police out in those key hubs, and that is evident in the figures."